The present invention relates generally to the field of costume jewelry and in particular to a new and useful bracelet kit containing a fragrance carrier. The kit can be used as both a sachet and to make a bracelet. The kit is especially adapted to make friendship bracelets.
Friendship bracelets are a type of costume jewelry having different ornaments threaded on a string, often by young children. The bracelets are traded among groups of children as a token of friendship. The bracelets are simple to make using ornaments having pre-drilled holes through them for easy threading on a string. The ornaments and string are typically obtained separately, and the ornaments are not scented; the bracelets function only as costume jewelry.
Other types of craft kits for making decorative items, such as jewelry are known, such as the jewelry kit having decorative yarn or beads disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,318 The kit contains a preformed metal frame shaped like a flower, animal, insect, etc. Beads and yarn are included as jewelry items for decorating the metal frame. The beads used in the kit do not have through-holes for stringing, but instead, are intended to be glued to the metal frame. None of the articles in the kit is scented.
A toy jewelry kit for making rings and tube bracelets is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,448. Bracelets may be formed by filling hollow tubes with water and coloring or particulates and sealing the tubes using a machine provided as part of the kit. Charms can be threaded onto the bracelet for additional decorative effect. None of the components of the kit is disclosed as being perfumed or scented.
Other patents disclose jewelry with a scent, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,542, which teaches a string of coated beads having a scent. The coating is an emulsion of polyurethane and essential oils. The beads are only coated with the emulsion and are not impregnated with scent.
U.S. Pat. No. 195,324 discloses a scented charm for use on a bracelet or necklace. The charm is made of a porous earthenware and scented by exposing the charm to a liquid perfume for absorption by the earthenware.
A natural botanical jewelry ornament is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,602. The ornament is formed by combining natural botanical plant material, essential oils and a fluorocarbon resin binder. TEFLON 30 from DuPont is disclosed as one suitable fluorocarbon resin binder. The mixture is shaped into a desired form for the ornament.
Fragrances and air fresheners are also generally known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,119 teaches a method of improving the diffusion of fragrances from polymers. Example 1 of the patent discloses a method of making perfume-impregnated polyethylene beads by adding an anionic surfactant to the perfume before mixing with polyethylene and coloring. The amount of perfume in the example is about 3% by weight.
However, none of the prior patents teach a self-contained kit for making a bracelet combining scented fragrance carriers and ornaments.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a kit which has both a pleasant fragrance and which can be used to make a decorative bracelet or other jewelry.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a jewelry kit which can be used as an air freshener.
Accordingly, a scented friendship bracelet kit contains several ornamental beads, a plurality of polymer pellets impregnated with a fragrance, a mesh fabric bundled about the beads and pellets and a tie string holding the fabric bundle together. The kit is provided as a bundle and can be used as an air freshener. The fragranced polymer pellets will continuously provide a scent over length of time.
To make a bracelet using the kit, the mesh fabric bundle is opened by untying the tie string. The ornamental beads are removed and strung on the tie string, which is sufficiently long to hold several ornamental beads and then tie the ends to form a bracelet. When the bracelet is completed, the mesh fabric and pellets may be discarded or, alternatively, rebundled and closed with other means to continue use as an air freshener.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.